In the early morning hours of August 19, 2022, Irah Sok, a 36-year-old Black woman, was tragically killed in her south Everett, Washington, home. Three armed intruders forced their way into the residence by kicking in the front door at approximately 3 a.m. They proceeded to the second floor and entered the master bedroom where Sok was asleep next to her young child. One of the assailants then shot Sok.
Her husband was forced to the floor and zip-tied while the intruders ransacked their home, stealing thousands of dollars' worth of luxury items. After the suspects fled, Sok's husband was able to get to a neighbor's house to call 911. When deputies arrived, they found Irah Sok deceased at the scene. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that she died from a single gunshot wound, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Irah Sok was a talented photographer who specialized in maternity and newborn portraits. She had recently realized a lifelong dream by opening her own photography studio, Irah Sok Images, in Mill Creek just seven months before her death. She was described by her cousin as being "full of life, full of dreams" and very kind. Her death prompted an outpouring of grief from the community, with nearly 100 people gathering for a candlelight vigil in her memory.
For two years, the case remained under investigation. A significant break came, and in August 2024, federal charges were announced against two suspects, 28-year-old Kevin Thistle and 23-year-old Chris Johnson. They face a range of charges including first-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary, and robbery. The home invasion that resulted in Sok's death was part of a string of armed robberies targeting Asian families throughout western Washington. Subsequently, a third suspect, a 24-year-old woman, was arrested in a Renton parking lot in July 2025 and booked on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, and theft.
